Sluice-gate.



H. RPARSHALL.

SLUIGE GATE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 22, 1910.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

3 SHEETS-$HBET 2.

Witnesses: Inventor-y Horace] P rshall v 'Hisaq ttorneg.

COL MBIA PLANOGRAPH CO-,WASHINOTON. n. :4

H. F. PARSHALL.

SLUIGE GATE.

' APPLICATION II LBD OCT. 22, 1910.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

3 SHBETS-SHEET 3.

Wu m 3 ve 2 A o H Witnesses:

H is oqtorneg TINITE STATES ATENT OFFIQE.

HORACE F. PARSI-IALL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SLUICE-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

Application filed. October 22, 1910. Serial No. 588,405.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE F. PARSHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sluice Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sluice gates and other devices of a similar character which have to be opened and closed under great unbalanced pressures and which therefore require a large amount of power for their operation because of the great friction between the sliding surfaces.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the power required to operate such gates or devices may be greatly diminished.

I accomplish the object of my invention by supplying a fluid under pressure between the stationary guide surfaces for the gates and the surfaces of the gates bearing against these guide surfaces. This fluid pressure opposes the pressure due to the head of water impounded by the gate so that the gate may be moved easily due to the relief of the normal pressure on the engaging surfaces and the lubrication afforded by the film of water between them.

The further novelties of my invention are pointed out with more particularity in the claims appended to and made a part of this specification.

For a further understanding of my inven tion reference may be had to the accompanying drawings where Figure 1 shows in cross-section a view of a dam having a sluice gate provided with my invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the gate; Fig. 3 is a sectional View of the gate taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4: is a sectional View of the gate taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional View showing a modification of my invention; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a detail of this modification, and Figs. 7 and 8 show a front view and section of a still further modification of my invention.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 1 is the stationary portion of the dam, which may be built in any well known manner, and through which is formed an aperture 2 which is controlled by the sluice gate 3. 4 is a hydraulic cylinder provided with a piston rod 5 secured to the sluice gate and adapted to raise and lower the gate as required.

Although I have illustrated a hydraulically operated gate, it will be understood that my invention-is not limited to a gate operated in such a manner but is equally applicable to one operated by racks and pinions or in any other well known way.

In accordance with my invention, I provide on the rear face of the gate, that is, the face not exposed to the pressure of impounded water, the bearing surfaces 6 which slide on the stationary gate posts or stationary guide surfaces -7 secured to the dam. Bearing surfaces 6 are provided each with a hollow chamber or groove 8 which may eX- tend practically the whole length of these bearing surfaces, as may be seen by referring to Figs. 2 and 3. This chamber is supplied through one or more pipes 9 with a suitable fluid .under pressure. With a hydraulically operated gate, such as I have illustrated, this fluid may be convenientlysupplied by connecting pipes 9to the mains which supply the fluid to the cylinder 4 for raising or lowering the gate. It will be understood, however, that pipes 9 may be supplied with fluid under pressure in any suitable manner.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4f, the bearing surfaces 6 may be provided with grooves 10 and 10, which may be suitably packed in order to provide a fluid tight oint.

Referring to Fig. 2, the chamber 8 is shown as substantially rectangular in form and I prefer to make it tapered, the wider end being at the bottom of the gate in order to balance the head of water.

It will be obvious that, while I have illus trated an embodiment of my invention where the hollow chamber is formed in the bearing surface of the gate, this chamber may be constructed in the stationary guide surface and the bearing surface of the gate may be made flat without such a chamber, and this transpositional construction is so simple that I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate it.

As will be readily understood, it is not necessary that the stationary guide surfaces be prolonged upward for such a distance that the bearing surfaces of the gate during its entire upward travel will be in contact with the same, as shown in Fig. 1. If dea construction I have illustrated in Fig.

5, where the gate in its upward movement passes above the stationary guide surface 7 which is shown as extending only a short distance above the gate when the latter is closed. It will be obvious that with such a construction, when the hollow chamber passes above the surface of the station ary member, the fluid filling the chamber will escape unless means are taken to prevent this occurring. In Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown such a means which consists of a stationary plug 11 projecting into the chamber 8. This plug may be made in any suitable manner. provided that it is constructed in such a way that it will have a spring-pressed projection or similar construction to compensate for the taper of the chamber; thatis, since the chamber is wider at the bottom than at the top, this plug must be. arranged so that, as the gate rises, the plug will expand and constantly make a tight joint between the sides of the chamber. One form of construction for such a plug I have shown in Fig. 6, the plug consisting of two members 12 which are held apart by compression springs 13 pressing against stationary members 14: which may be held by a pin 15 firmly fastened to the stationary guide surface. It will be obvious that, as the gate slides up, springs 18 press mem bers 12v outward so that these members are constantly in contact with the sides of groove 8.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a still further modification of my invention, Fig. 7 showing a vertical view of one of the bearing surfaces of the gate. In this modification the hollow groove for the reception of fluid under pressure, instead of being formed as a single chamber, is divided up into separate cham bers 8, each of which is supplied by a pipe 9 from a main pipe 9 which may be con nected to a suitable source of supply. Pipes 9 are shown as provided with valves 16, the handles of these valves being provided with a geared wheel 17 which is in operative relation with a rack 18 fastened to the gate. It will be obvious that as the gate moves upward, rack 18 will engage the geared wheels attached to the several valves and the construction is such that, when the geared wheels are rotated by an upward movement of the rack, the valves will be'closed, thus shutting off the fluid from the chambers in succession so that its escape is prevented. For a downward movement of the gate the valves will be successively opened so that fluid pressure will be supplied to the various chambers in succession, and thus the power required to operate the gate will be at a minimum. While I have illustrated a particular embodiment of this modification, it will be obvious that many forms of construction may be used for successively opening and closing the pipes connected to the various chambers, and I do not limit myself to the particular construction illustrated.

I am aware that sluice gates have been constructed with means for limiting the frictional pressure between the stationary guide surfaces and the bearing surfaces of the gate and I desire it to be-understood that my invention is limited to sluice gates, or the like, in which the frictional pressure bearing surfaces, by which I mean the stationary guide surfaces and the bearing surfaces of the gate, are situated only on the face of the gate which is not exposed to the pressure of the impounded water.

While I have illustrated preferred em" bodiments of my invention, I do not limit myself to these embodiments but seek in the appended claims to cover all embodiments which will be obvious to those skilled in the art and will not depart from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A sluice gate comprising in combination a stationary guide surface, a movable gate having a bearing surface in operative relation therewith, fluid under pressure in operative relation with the surfaces, and a chamber in operative relation with said fluid adapted to give a greater fluid pressure between said surfaces at one end of-the gate than at the other.

2. A sluice gate comprising in combination a stationary guide surface, a movable gate having a bearing surface in operative relation therewith, a tapered chamber in one of said surfaces, and means for introducing into said chamber fluid under pressure.

3. A sluice gate comprising in combination a stationary guide surface, a movable gate having a bearing surface in operative relation therewith passing out of contact with the guide surface upon movement of the gate, a chamber in one of said surfaces, means for introducing fluid under pressure into said chamber, and means for preventing an escape of fluid when the gate moves.

4. A sluice gate comprising in combination a stationary guide surface, a movable gate having a bearing surface in operative relation therewith, a plurality of chambers on one of said surfaces, means for introducing fluid under pressure into said chambers,

and means for causing a cessation of flow of fluid into said chambers as the gate moves.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washing-ton, D. C. 

